Caption
Army leaders survey battlefield and thank troops f
Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Lloyd Austin awards the Silver Star, the U.S. military's third highest military decoration for valor, to Capt. Brian Kitching, from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion Armored Regiment, Nov. 22, 2012, at Combat Outpost Zangabad, Afghanistan, for actions taken while leading his platoon during a hostile engagement with the enemy, resulting in the unit sustaining heavy casualties. The purpose of the visit by Under Secretary of the Army Joseph Westphal and Austin was to meet with deployed troops in Afghanistan during the Thanksgiving holiday period to underscore senior Army leader support for the service and sacrifice of Soldiers and civilian employees.